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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24531010">Chocolates for Natsu</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamayamawrites/pseuds/yamayamawrites'>yamayamawrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, all i write is fluff, fake dating au, fluff!, friends to fake lovers?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:48:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,532</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24531010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamayamawrites/pseuds/yamayamawrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kageyama has a crush on Hinata that he's more than a little embarrassed to admit to. He thinks he's doing a pretty good job of hiding that fact, but can he continue to hide it when Hinata has suddenly decided that they're dating?</p><p>Also known as: the Fake Dating AU nobody asked for.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>87</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi friends! So this draft has been sitting on my laptop for a long time while I toyed with whether or not I wanted to post it. I have the barest bones of an outline laid out for where I want this to go, so I've been hesitant to post it, but then I realized that my writing is fun because usually I don't have strict guidelines and things come together as I write. I tend to give myself a chapter limit, write the first few, then determine from there where I want the story to go.</p><p>Anyways, thanks so much for reading! I recently wrote a "Body Switch" AU, and this seemed like the next overdone AU on the list. If you have any AU requests that you'd like to see from me, you can contact me here or on my writing blog on Tumblr (same username)! I love when I get messages from you guys telling me what you enjoyed or didn't enjoy from my writing, and I take every comment to heart and try to change my writing for the better constantly. I really do read every single comment and appreciate them so much.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In his entire time at Karasuno, Hinata had not even once been late to volleyball practice. He prided himself on that, wore it as a sort of badge of honor, treated it like a level of dedication to the sport that nobody could rival. Now, though, he shuffled anxiously from foot to foot, knowing full well that morning practice was set to start in a few minutes – if he left now he could probably make it in time…</p><p>Yachi had texted him the night before and asked to meet in the school’s courtyard before morning practice. Foolishly, Hinata hadn’t asked her for a specific time (hell, he hadn’t even asked what they needed to meet about or anything, or if it could wait). The early spring air hadn’t bothered him on the bike ride to school, but now standing still he felt the cold seeping into his entire body, making him curl up on himself and appear smaller than he already did.</p><p>He saw her blonde hair bobbing in a comical way, and maybe he would have laughed if he wasn’t so busy glancing at his phone every few seconds to make sure he made it to the gymnasium on time. Finally, Yachi stopped in front of him, cheeks flushed from running. “Hinata!” she breathed, doubling over and grasping at her knees while she caught her breath.</p><p>Patience had never been a skill Hinata possessed. “What did you need, Yachi?”</p><p>Yachi coughed a bit, heaving still, and Hinata resisted the urge to tap his foot the way people in movies did when they were impatient. Sure, she may have inconvenienced him, but she was still his friend. When she straightened up, her breath still labored but much more even than it had been moments ago, Hinata noticed she carried a pink box. “U-um,” the flush on her cheeks suddenly didn’t seem to be from running. At least, if they were, then she was <em>very </em>out of shape.</p><p>“Are those…?” Hinata drifted off, a blank look settling on his face.</p><p>She thrust the box into his hands. “M-my mom helped me make them, and um…” she twirled her hair in her fingers nervously, now that her hands weren’t preoccupied by carrying the box. “Please go on a date with me, Hinata!” she spat, and Hinata’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.</p><p>Morning practice forgotten, Hinata felt like it was the end of the world. Sure, he’d commented many times about how jealous he was that people like Kageyama and Tsukkishima received confessions so often, how he wanted a girl to give <em>him </em>sweets, but this felt…weird. Yachi? They were good friends, and – well, at least Hinata thought – nothing more.</p><p>The voice that left him didn’t sound like his own. It was quiet (unusually so) and almost shy as he pushed the box back into her hands. “Sorry,” he mumbled.</p><p>Yachi held her own hands up in defiance, refusing to take the package back. “Please!” she insisted, and had Hinata’s brain not been in the process of imploding, he might have noticed the tears budding at the corners of her eyes.</p><p>“I’m seeing someone already,” that voice that wasn’t his said, and he knew it was a lie but how else could he deny her? Denying confessions, especially from treasured friends, felt really hard! The excited butterflies he always imagined following a confession were replaced with stinging wasps, and he felt pained to lie to Yachi, but how could he tell her he just didn’t see her that way?</p><p>“Oh,” Yachi breathed out. “Uh, who?” Her head hung, and even if Hinata could read facial expressions, he wouldn’t have been able to see the strange relief in her eyes.</p><p>His phone alarm went off. <em>Shit. Volleyball. Practice started! </em>“Kageyama!” he barked, thinking about how much teasing he’d get from his partner for being late. Without hesitation, he threw his gym bag over his shoulder and took off towards the gymnasium, pink box still in hand even as he arrived. In fact, he’d forgotten it was there, until Tsukkishima whistled over to him as he stepped into the gymnasium.</p><p>“So, Shrimpy’s finally late—” he had a whole insult prepared, Hinata was sure of it, so it confused him when Tsukkishima halted in his words and stared down at his hands. He looked there, too, convinced maybe he was holding a child or something—but no, it was just that stupid pink box.</p><p>Tanaka noticed next, and a sort of animalistic growl left him. “Hinata got a confession before <em>me</em>?!” he cried, throwing a hand to his forehead dramatically.</p><p>The rest of the team, who had been in the midst of their stretches, turned their attention towards Tanaka’s yelling. Daichi opened his mouth to scold them when he, too, noticed the blank face Hinata wore and the pink box in his hands. “Oi, back off,” he called to Tanaka and Tsukkishima, though his eyes couldn’t help but settle on the petite pink box Hinata held.</p><p>For once, Hinata was speechless – not even a <em>gwaah </em>or a <em>waah </em>could leave him. He felt Kageyama’s eyes on him, and he wanted to glare back, but his face was frozen in that same mortified look. Kageyama didn’t look ready to hurl insults at him, which was a new sensation; he almost looked as frightened as Hinata felt, in fact. He made a mental note to poke fun at him later. Now, though, despite Daichi’s efforts to grasp the team’s attention and return it to volleyball, the team gathered around him as he put on his practice shoes and asked him questions.</p><p>“Do I know her?” Yamaguchi asked.</p><p>“Is she hot?” Nishinoya pressed.</p><p>“Is she shorter than you?” Tsukkishima sneered.</p><p>As if on cue, Yachi walked into the gymnasium behind him, cheeks flushed as she realized just what kind of trouble she’d started. Hinata managed a glance over at her to find that she wore the same terrified expression he did, only exponentially more frightened. “Uh,” Hinata muttered, the first noise he’d made since entering the gym (Kageyama had made a mental note that that was his record on how long he could go without speaking). “I-I don’t really know her…”</p><p>“Huh?!” Tanaka growled again. “You didn’t even know her name?!”</p><p>Hinata shook his head quickly. “I-I think she was a second year,” he squeaked, desperately trying to keep the team from discovering that the one who’d confessed actually stood less than ten feet from them. He thought he saw Yachi sigh; whether from relief or disappointment Hinata didn’t have time to consider.</p><p>“What did she look like?” Suga asked, and Daichi realized then that perhaps he’d lost the handle he had on his team.</p><p>“Can we please get back to stretching?” Daichi begged as a last effort, but by now the entire team aside from himself and Kageyama stood surrounding Hinata.</p><p>Hinata, on the other hand, wished for nothing more than practice to start. And to hopefully not puke. That ugly feeling in his stomach had returned the second Yachi walked into the gymnasium. “S-she had um…” what’s the opposite of blonde? “Black! Black hair!” his voice was nearly an octave higher than normal (which is, to say, practically a dog whistle).</p><p>Kageyama watched the exchange with a strange sort of feeling in his chest. Sure, he’d gotten confessed to before, but never had the team worried so much about it. Maybe it was because Hinata was so stupid that they didn’t expect him to ever be confessed to? No, that’s how Kageyama felt, though. Maybe because Hinata looked so stupid? No, also how Kageyama felt. He tried to pinpoint exactly what it was about this particular scenario that made the team stop in their tracks to pester him.</p><p>Kageyama almost felt bad, watching the way Hinata’s face contorted the way it did before a big match. He stood from his spot on the floor, finally, having been stretching his legs as Hinata walked in. He pushed through the team crowded around him with ease, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him out of the circle. Hinata kept his mouth glued shut, and the rest of the team watched the exchange with a certain curiosity. Daichi opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, then opened and closed it once more.</p><p>“Let’s practice our quick,” Kageyama said, and Hinata nodded his head with such vigor that Kageyama wondered if during the verbal assault on him he’d been storing up his energy.</p><p>The pink box had toppled out of Hinata’s hand in the process, and Suga scooped it up before anyone else had the chance. He slipped the box into Hinata’s bag carefully, clapping his hands together and joining Hinata, Kageyama, and Daichi on the court. Slowly, the others followed suit.</p><p>“Quick time, quick time!” Hinata sang with a skip, the distraction of volleyball enough to make him forget entirely about that morning’s activities within a few minutes. Yachi stood on the sidelines, watching Hinata’s and Kageyama’s interactions a little more intently than she normally would have – which is, to say, pretty much all practice. Hinata and Kageyama were her two favorites to watch regularly, mostly because of their freak quick, but also because she sometimes found their bickering humorous.</p><p>She wondered if their bickering really had been flirting this whole time, but even now as she watched them she had a hard time believing they were flirting with each other when Kageyama called Hinata a dumbass. She supposed, though, that she never noticed how many little touches they shared; first when Kageyama grabbed Hinata’s collar, but also the high-fives and shoulder nudges and once Kageyama even grabbed Hinata’s arms to rearrange them into proper receiving position.</p><p>After practice, Yachi waited until Hinata was the only one left in the gymnasium. “Hey,” she said, voice already breaking, and she could see Hinata analyzing a path to flee through. “I’m not going to ask you out again,” she added hurriedly.</p><p>Hinata’s shoulders tensed as he opened his bag and found the box of sweets. “I just wanted to—um, to say…” she fiddled with the hem of her skirt. Hinata still hadn’t said anything, which was certainly unusual. When he was uncomfortable, he liked to cover his discomfort with loud voices and jumping and such. Now, he sat quietly on the ground, replacing his practice shoes with his outdoor shoes.</p><p>Finally, Yachi decided she needed to spit it out. “I’m sorry for trying to get between you and Kageyama!”</p><p>Hinata’s eyes shot up to hers, a look of confusion on his face, his jaw hanging open like he was getting ready to make a noise…but still, nothing.</p><p>“Y-you know, because you said you were dating earlier…” she pressed her fingers together, cheeks hot from embarrassment.</p><p>“Oh,” Hinata spoke. Finally, he said something. He left her floundering for <em>that </em>long, only to say, “Oh.”</p><p>Kageyama decided that was the perfect moment to poke his head into the gym. “Hinata?” he called, finding the boy on the floor. “Hey, you’re going to be late for class.”</p><p>Hinata’s cheeks erupted in a bright pink mess and he stumbled to his feet. “U-uh, yeah, let’s go…” He threw his bag over his shoulder and waved to Yachi, then – hesitantly – grabbed for Kageyama’s hand and laced their fingers together.</p><p>Hinata felt Kageyama tense, but the latter didn’t withdraw. Instead, he gave Hinata a questioning look; Hinata only held his hand like this when they were in crowded areas (tournament locations, mostly) and Hinata feared he might run into an intimidating player or get lost or something. His mind reeled, trying to remember earlier that day. Had he said he was dating Kageyama? He didn’t think so. But he must have, right?</p><p>His stomach sank. <em>Oh. </em>He did say that. Well, he hadn’t <em>meant </em>to say that, but he had a sudden memory of his phone going off and yelling his partner’s name in a panic. Once they were back in the clubroom, the only two there since Hinata had been preoccupied talking to Yachi (or rather, having Yachi talk at him), Kageyama pulled his hand away and sat down on a bench to change his shoes. “You gonna tell me what happened?” he asked casually, not even looking up from his shoes.</p><p>Hinata turned his back to Kageyama as he changed into his school uniform. “Hah, um, well…” his voice squeaked that way it did when he was nervous.</p><p>“Did Yachi confess to you?”</p><p>
  <em>Shit. Kageyama was perceptive.</em>
</p><p>“I mean, uh,” Hinata rubbed his neck. He figured if there was one person on the team he couldn’t lie to, it was Kageyama. “…yeah.”</p><p>“And you said no?”</p><p>Hinata whipped his head around to look at him. Kageyama was giving him a weird look, almost the same blank stare that Hinata had worn earlier that day, but more analytical. Hinata sighed. If Kageyama could play along, maybe things would work out better. “I said I was…seeing someone already,” he gripped the shirt in his hands tightly and looked away from Kageyama.</p><p>“That’s a lie,” Kageyama snorted. “Who would want to date you?”</p><p>“Uh, you?” Hinata muttered feebly.</p><p>Kageyama blinked, trying to comprehend exactly what Hinata meant. “<em>What</em>?”</p><p>“W-well, my phone alarm went off and in a panic I guess I said your name because I was worried you’d tease me for being late but I accidentally told Yachi we’re dating,” he spoke quickly, a bit out of breath when he finished.</p><p>He stared for a moment, then let his eyes fall to his shoes once more. “So that’s why you grabbed my hand.”</p><p>“U-um, yes.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“<em>Okay</em>?”</p><p>“I’ll pretend to date you,” Kageyama shrugged. “That’s what you wanted, right? I mean, we already spend a lot of time together so it won’t be hard. At least long enough for Yachi not to pester you about lying to her, right?”</p><p>“Right,” Hinata’s head spun. What on earth had he gotten himself into? And why was Kageyama being so complacent with the idea?</p><p>But when Kageyama looked back up, Hinata could see a blush creeping across his face. “We’ll only keep it up for a month. Tops.”</p><p>“Tops?” Hinata felt like a month was a long time to spend lying to Yachi. Still, Kageyama watched him insistently, and he wondered if Kageyama had done something like this before.</p><p><em>Idiot, he didn’t have friends before. There’s no way he knows what he’s doing any more than you do</em>, he thought.</p><p>“We’ll talk more about it at lunch,” Kageyama threw his bag over his shoulder and walked towards the door. “That is, if you want to do this? Or you could tell Yachi you lied and that you just don’t like her like that.”</p><p>“No!” Hinata scowled at how insistent he was. “I mean, no, I can’t ever let Yachi know I lied to her.”</p><p>“Then, I’ll see you at lunch…” Kageyama hesitated, fidgeting with his bag strap. “…Shouyo.”</p><p>Despite already blushing so much Hinata’s face felt like it might melt off, he blushed even harder, the redness creeping down his neck. Why was Kageyama so good at this?!</p><hr/><p><em>Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god, </em>Kageyama thought the moment he stepped out of the clubroom. He would never admit to crushing on Hinata (part of him didn’t even know if it was a crush or if it was normal to feel that way about a friend), but he hoped he didn’t come on too strong. Truly, he wanted to help Hinata out of the situation he’d ended up in. He told himself as he walked to his classroom that that was the only reason he agreed. To help Hinata.</p><p>And what was with him calling Hinata “Shouyo”? Sure, he knew that the couples around school usually referred to each other by their first name, but they weren’t <em>actually </em>a couple. And nobody was around to hear it. Kageyama ruffled his fingers through his hair, trying to calm his racing heart and flushed cheeks. He’d dreamt of calling Hinata “Shouyo”, and it just slipped out. Was that okay? Hinata looked like he was scared when he said it.</p><p>His worries persisted through his classes to the point that Kageyama hadn’t written a single word of notes for the morning. The lunch bell startled him out of his thoughts and he went to meet Hinata at their usual lunch spot, surprised to find that Hinata instead chose to meet him outside his classroom.</p><p>“Hey!” Hinata chirped. He looked a lot less pale and frightened than before. As casually as he could, Hinata slipped his hand into Kageyama’s. “Is this okay?” he asked, leaning closer to whisper to him (or at least, speak quieter; Hinata didn’t know the definition of ‘whisper’).</p><p>“’S fine,” Kageyama mumbled back, letting their hands swing between them. The way Hinata’s face lit up made Kageyama’s chest flutter and he had to look away, his grip slightly loosening on Hinata’s hand. If Hinata noticed, he didn’t say anything.</p><p>On their walk to their lunch spot, Hinata babbled on about something that happened in class. Kageyama caught the general gist of it – some kid had thrown a paper airplane and it had landed directly at the teacher’s feet – a story that would have taken Kageyama thirty seconds to tell, but somehow Hinata made it last almost ten minutes.</p><p>When they sat down, Hinata hesitantly pulled out the box of chocolates. “What should I do with these?” he asked.</p><p>“Um, how should I know?” Kageyama replied, pulling his own lunch out.</p><p>“You get confessed to all the time. How do you deal with the candies?”</p><p>“I usually give them to my mom,” Kageyama shrugged. He wasn’t much for sweets.</p><p>Hinata stared at him, mouth slightly agape. “What?” Kageyama snarled, and Hinata shied away from him, turning his head away.</p><p>“That’s just sweet,” Hinata murmured. He slammed a fist into his palm. “Ah! I’ll give them to Natsu!”</p><p>“Natsu…?” Kageyama questioned, scooting a bit closer to Hinata as he saw Yachi walk by with a few girls from her class.</p><p>“My little sister,” Hinata explained. “She loves sweets. I do too, but I’d feel bad eating them.”</p><p>Yachi glanced over and Hinata caught her eye. She smiled and waved cheerfully, like she usually did, and Hinata waved back. Yachi blushed then and turned away. “I wonder how I never noticed,” Hinata mumbled idly.</p><p>“Noticed what?” Kageyama replied, having not noticed Yachi waving as he opened his lunch box.</p><p>“Yachi had feelings for me.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Kageyama hadn’t noticed, either. Yachi seemed like a good friend, the type of friend that would never become something more, not because they wouldn’t be a good couple but because it wouldn’t feel right. Or maybe that had been Kageyama’s hopes talking. Maybe, had Hinata given it a chance, they would have made an excellent couple and even become something of high school sweethearts, getting married in their early twenties and having little sunshine babies. Kageyama wondered in that universe if he would have been the godfather, idly playing with his food as he did so.</p><p>“Earth to Kageyama,” Hinata called, waving a hand in front of his partner’s face. Kageyama blushed and looked away, trying to push literally every thought of Hinata from his mind. It was hard to do with Hinata’s hand in his face and their thighs pressing together – when had they gotten so close? Had he done that? No, he’d made sure not to press himself up against the boy. Hinata giggled and poked a finger into Kageyama’s cheek, something that would have been an entirely normal exchange were it not for the bizarre circumstances and the feeling of Hinata’s thigh against his own.</p><p>“If you want to stop,” Hinata mumbled, pulling away when Kageyama didn’t snatch his wrist like he usually did.</p><p>“No,” Kageyama replied sternly, grimacing inwardly at how intense he sounded. Like he wanted this. He cleared his throat. “No,” he said again, “you need my help, don’t you?”</p><p>“W-well, when you put it like that…” Hinata toyed with his lunch box, trying to hide his face as it erupted into a blush rivalling Kageyama’s.</p><p>“We need to set up some rules,” Kageyama said quickly. He thought that could at least protect him from revealing his true feelings for Hinata in the process of this crazy plan.</p><p>“Like?” Hinata replied, leaning his face casually onto Kageyama’s shoulder. Kageyama hesitantly let his shoulders relax.</p><p>“W-what’s going too far,” Kageyama began, “and who needs to know it’s fake.”</p><p>“Why should anyone know it’s fake?” Hinata asked.</p><p>“In case something bad happens,” Kageyama replied, but wouldn’t elaborate on what he meant by ‘something bad’.</p><p>“Okay, and ‘too far’?” Hinata prodded, his finger jabbing into Kageyama’s side playfully. Kageyama retorted by gripping Hinata’s hair just a bit too tight.</p><p>“Like…are you okay with um,” Kageyama’s cheeks heated up. “…kissing?”</p><p>He felt Hinata tense below him and released Hinata’s hair. The smaller boy didn’t look up; instead, he drew back from Kageyama’s shoulder. “I hadn’t thought of that,” he admitted finally.</p><p>“We don’t have to,” Kageyama said a bit too quickly. He thought that, if he got the chance to kiss Hinata only for it to be fake, he might die.</p><p>“Well, couples do that, don’t they?” Hinata replied. “How about, only when we <em>know </em>someone who might tell is around.”</p><p>“And not during volleyball practice,” Kageyama added. Hinata nodded sternly.</p><p>“Any other rules, <em>Tobio</em>?” Hinata sneered, his finger meeting Kageyama’s cheek again. However, Kageyama was unable to respond; his brain had already begun to short-circuit at the fact that Hinata had called him ‘Tobio’. This only made Hinata laugh harder, insisting it was payback for earlier that day.</p><p>From then, they stopped talking about their fake relationship, as the atmosphere had gotten quite strange around them after the possibility of kissing had been thrown into the open. That unsettling, tense air didn’t necessarily feel bad – at least, not entirely, and not to Hinata – but they still continued to avoid it as their conversation shifted towards volleyball. It wasn’t until their lunch period ended that they were faced with the tension again of being in a “relationship”.</p><p>“So, um, I’ll see you later?” Hinata tugged at the hem of his uniform jacket. That blush returned, and Kageyama was certain he wore a matching blush on his face.</p><p>“U-uh, yeah,” he nodded back. Then, with a bit of hesitation, both moved to kiss the other’s cheek at the same time; Kageyama’s lips met somewhere around Hinata’s jaw and Hinata’s forehead slammed into the side of Kageyama’s face. They pulled back in alarm, Hinata grabbing at his nose in pain. Then, without hesitation, Kageyama laughed.</p><p>He rarely laughed, even at home, so Hinata was startled by it. He almost thought Kageyama was preparing to kill him, but then he noticed the look on Kageyama’s face was actually quite…nice. The usual crease in his forehead had dissipated and he wore a smile that was about a three out of ten on the scariness scale. Hinata found a laugh bubbling out of himself, and he poked playfully at Kageyama’s cheek. “We’ll try that again sometime,” he said casually, and waved over his shoulder before disappearing into the wave of students returning to class.</p><p>Kageyama, still blushing, let the smile gradually return to his resting frown as he watched the boy leave. The halls were nearly empty by the time he realized he also needed to return to class, and he had to sprint to make it back on time.</p><p>He spent the rest of the afternoon wondering just how he could keep his crush on Hinata while fake dating him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“For Natsu,” Kageyama explained simply, but the blush on his own cheeks betrayed his indifference.</p><p>“Huh?” Hinata squeaked.</p><p>“You said Natsu liked the chocolates from Yachi, dumbass,” Kageyama replied. “So. Um. Here’s some more. For Natsu.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone! I really hope you're enjoying this fic so far! I decided that I'd start working stories like this by setting a limit of chapters for myself, otherwise I end up floundering for how long it should be and what should happen next, which is why this will only be five chapters total. I find it easier to condense my thoughts that way, so I hope none of you mind that!</p><p>I also want to thank you all for the support and the nice comments so far! If you have any recommendations or constructive criticism, I would love to hear it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hinata and Kageyama found themselves in a weird limbo during the first week of trying to decide boundaries on things besides physical affection.</p><p>Hinata could be a flirt, but only when he wasn’t trying too hard. Kageyama was well, <em>Kageyama</em>, so flirting didn’t come nearly as naturally, but a few times already he’d either paid for Hinata’s lunch or brought a gift to school. The atmosphere between them changed, and while their gameplay was minutely affected by the arrangement, their interactions worked through a cycle of overly comfortable and increasingly awkward.</p><p>If any of the team noticed their strange interactions with each other, they kept to themselves about it.</p><p>Kageyama even brought <em>chocolates </em>for Hinata one day, causing the latter’s face to erupt in a blush that rivaled the red of Nekoma’s jerseys. They were in a plain white box and had a simple orange bow around them. It looked nothing like the box Yachi had given him, and Hinata idly wondered if Kageyama planned on confessing to him – but no, they were fake dating already, so this couldn’t be a confession.</p><p>“For Natsu,” Kageyama explained simply, but the blush on his own cheeks betrayed his indifference.</p><p>“Huh?” Hinata squeaked.</p><p>“You said Natsu liked the chocolates from Yachi, dumbass,” Kageyama replied. “So. Um. Here’s some more. For Natsu.”</p><p>Kageyama hadn’t met Natsu yet. The weekend prior, Hinata had invited Kageyama over after practice insisting that he meet her, but he’d already had plans for a family dinner. Hinata hadn’t brought up Natsu again until now, and even then it had been Kageyama who did it. “Do you have time to come over today and give them to her yourself?” Hinata asked sweetly.</p><p>Kageyama sputtered a bit at the proposal. “I—uh, sure?”</p><p>“Great!” Hinata bobbed his head up and pressed a kiss to Kageyama’s cheek. When he flushed even deeper, Hinata whispered, “Yachi just walked by.”</p><p>He moved back from Kageyama, then, and waved. “See ya at lunch, Tobio!”</p><p>Kageyama watched him bound towards his classroom, then looked back to his hands. The box was still there. He briefly thought he could conduct a plan to slip the box into Hinata’s bag and claim to have lost the chocolates in order to avoid visiting Hinata’s house, but part of him was at least a little curious about what Hinata’s bedroom looked like. A sick, gnawing curiosity that he wished didn’t exist and could pretend didn’t exist all he wanted, but the thrumming of his heart at the thought of going to Hinata’s house betrayed him in an instant.</p><p>The morning dragged on far longer than it should have. Kageyama tapped his pencil impatiently, supposing maybe he should be writing down the words on the board, but he hadn’t the energy to focus on two things at once, and currently Hinata absorbed his entire thought process. They hadn’t kissed yet, hadn’t even talked about it since that first day of “dating”, and with every passing hour he felt a deeper need to know what Hinata tasted like. Honestly, he was surprised Hinata hadn’t figured out by now that Kageyama had a crush on him – a real crush – but he supposed that was a testament to the boy’s stupidity more than anything.</p><p>By the time the morning finished, Kageyama’s notebook still lay blank in front of him on the desk, aside from the marks left by tapping his pencil so feverishly on the page. Hinata met him outside his classroom again, and their hands linked together with ease, the way they’d done for a week or so now. Holding hands had never been something explicitly romantic for the two of them, at least not until they were pretending it was. It had always been more of an anchor, especially when the shorter boy had a habit of wandering off at tournament locations.</p><p>Kageyama wondered sometimes if he was just a parental figure to Hinata in order to keep his stubbornness in line. He inwardly cringed at the thought.</p><p>Their usual lunch spot was a bit crowded that day, so the two instead decided to eat outside the gymnasium. They sat on the ground cross-legged, knees bumping as they ate and chatted with each other. Their conversation was usually dictated by Hinata, today being no exception; it seemed the shorter boy wanted to relive the entire season of a show he’d been watching recently. “And it’s so, <em>gwahh</em>, I don’t know!” Hinata cried, throwing his hands out in front of him to accentuate his point.</p><p>At one point, Kageyama probably would have been annoyed at Hinata’s unwavering enthusiasm about nearly every aspect of his life. Now, though, it was comforting; at least one thing stayed consistent during this insane predicament they’d found themselves in.</p><p>He’d lost himself in thought enough that Hinata nudged his shoulder into him. “Oi, Tobio, your eyes are glossing over,” he sneered teasingly. “Am I really that boring?”</p><p>“Yes,” Kageyama deadpanned, causing a whine from the latter that had him hiding a snicker behind his hand.</p><p>“You’re so mean,” he puffed his lip out in a pout, and <em>god, </em>did Kageyama have to practice his ability to keep himself from kissing that stupid pout off his fake boyfriend’s stupid face.</p><p>Maybe Hinata had the same idea, though. Was he moving closer, or was it Kageyama?</p><p>He was close enough that Kageyama could feel Hinata’s breath on his lips when Tsukkishima’s voice called out to them, surprising them enough to slam their foreheads together. “Oi, King, how’d you manage to find love?”</p><p>“Fuck off,” Kageyama growled back. Hinata’s face exploded into a brilliant shade of pink.</p><p>“And only a few days after that mystery girl confessed to you,” Tsukkishima clicked his tongue. “You said she had black hair, huh?”</p><p>“Tsukkishima—” Kageyama said in a warning tone.</p><p>“Come to think of it, Kageyama was running a little late to practice that day too,” the blond tapped his chin, smirking down at them. “If you were <em>gay</em>, Shrimpy, you could have just said so.”</p><p>“As if Tobio would give me chocolates,” Hinata scoffed. “I <em>did </em>get confessed to, and I told them I was already <em>seeing </em>someone,” he spoke pointedly and confidently, but the blush still tainting his cheeks certainly counteracted his confident demeanor.</p><p>“So you and Kageyama are together?” Yamaguchi spoke, poking his head out from behind Tsukkishima. Kageyama supposed he should have known Yamaguchi would be there.</p><p>Kageyama looked back and forth between Yamaguchi and Tsukkishima and Hinata, wondering how Hinata would respond. They’d toyed with the idea of telling the team, but they were both a bit hesitant. Now, faced with the conflict of telling them it was fake, would Hinata do it?</p><p>“We are,” Hinata rose to his feet. “Got a problem?” he pressed closer to them, eyes narrowed. Yamaguchi held up his hands in defense.</p><p>“No, no problem,” he insisted, but Tsukkishima took a step closer, looming over the shorter boy.</p><p>“Are you <em>ashamed </em>to be dating Kageyama? I sure as hell would be,” Tsukki sneered.</p><p>“Is that why you haven’t told anyone about you and Yamaguchi?” Hinata shot back, and Kageyama’s lips fell into a soft ‘o’ shape, as did Yamaguchi’s. Tsukki took a step back, the challenging façade broken.</p><p>“Whatever,” he grumbled. “It isn’t worth it.”</p><p>He and Yamaguchi left, then, and with a huff Hinata dropped back down next to Kageyama. “So, are we not telling anyone it’s…fake, then?” Kageyama asked softly.</p><p>“Not those two,” Hinata replied just as soft.</p><p>“Okay,” Kageyama breathed.</p><p>They finished the lunch period in comfortable silence. Kageyama took out his phone and began playing some sort of volleyball-themed game on his cell phone after he finished eating, and Hinata peered over his shoulder to watch, eventually letting his head rest on his setter’s shoulder. Kageyama tensed momentarily, but relaxed soon enough when Hinata’s arms wrapped themselves delicately around his forearm. He did pretty poorly playing the game with just one free hand, but somehow that didn’t bother him.</p><p>By the time the bell rang to dismiss them back to class, Hinata had drifted off on his shoulder; he looked so calm, so peaceful, and Kageyama fought the urge to delicately place his fingers in that soft halo of hair. He took a quick picture – leaving his face out strategically – and shook Hinata awake gently after safely tucking his phone away. “Oi,” he murmured. “Shouyo. Class.”</p><p>“Five more minutes,” Hinata murmured, nuzzling his nose into Kageyama’s shoulder.</p><p>“No,” Kageyama shook him a bit harder. “Class.”</p><p>“Tobio is so mean,” Hinata whined, but he stood and stretched his arms. Kageyama followed suit. “See you at practice,” he murmured, voice heavy from sleep, and Kageyama fought every part of him that wanted to smooth down the wild strands of hair poking out from Hinata’s impromptu nap.</p><p>“See you,” Kageyama murmured back. Hinata pecked a kiss on his cheek, and then he bounded off, Kageyama watching him go. He didn’t bother to look around to see whether Yachi had been nearby.</p><hr/><p>“Tobio,” Hinata whined again, tugging his hand stubbornly. “Let’s. Go.”</p><p>Kageyama’s feet were securely planted on the road just outside Hinata’s house. “My family will like you,” Hinata assured. “Natsu will like you.”</p><p>“That’s not what I’m worried about, dumbass!” Kageyama hissed in response.</p><p>“Then what are you worried about?”</p><p>Kageyama flushed. “I’ve just…never been to a friend’s house before…” his voice drifted off.</p><p>“Okay?” Hinata shrugged. “We don’t bite.”</p><p>Kageyama let himself be dragged to the door then. Hinata unlocked the door with one hand, his other firmly in Kageyama’s despite the fact that Kageyama was no longer resisting. He pushed open the door and had barely gotten the words “I’m home!” out of his mouth before a much smaller ball of sunshine leapt into his arms.</p><p>“Nii chan!” the ball of sunshine sang. Somewhere deeper in the house, a woman with orange-brown hair rounded the corner, a beautiful smile on her face.</p><p>“Welcome to our home, Tobio,” she said warmly. “Shouyo’s told us a lot about you.”</p><p>Kageyama stiffened, his cheeks turning pink. He wondered what exactly Hinata had said. He bowed his head quickly, apologizing for the intrusion and thanking Hinata’s mother (he presumed) for welcoming him into the home.</p><p>“Mama,” Hinata whined next to him, “don’t embarrass me!”</p><p>“What has he said?” Kageyama asked curiously, and his question was returned with a warm smile from Hinata’s mother.</p><p>“Well, I hear you’re an excellent setter, to say the least,” she replied, Hinata’s squeals of protest threatening to interrupt in the background. “Come in, please! Dinner is almost done. We can talk about it over a nice meal!”</p><p>The two kicked off their shoes and Hinata led Kageyama into the living room, Natsu hiding behind Hinata’s legs while peeking out at Kageyama.</p><p>“Natsu,” Hinata hoisted her up into his arms, “this is Tobio. Tobio, this is my little sister Natsu!”</p><p>“H-hello,” Kageyama tried not to sound scary.</p><p>“Dumbass, you sound scary,” Hinata deadpanned.</p><p>“Shouyo! Language!” his mother called from the kitchen.</p><p>Natsu looked at Kageyama blankly, seemingly trying to decide how she felt about him. “Tobio brought you chocolates,” Hinata said. “Remember the ones I brought home for you last week?”</p><p>“Chocolates!” Natsu squealed, squirming in Hinata’s grasp. He let her down and she practically dove at Kageyama’s legs. Hinata laughed watching the look of horror on Kageyama’s face as Natsu chanted for chocolates at his feet.</p><p>“See? She likes you,” Hinata said with a snicker. Kageyama remained stiff as a board, only moving his head so he could fully glare at Hinata.</p><p>“Chocolates! Tobio san, chocolates!” Natsu shrieked, reminding Kageyama that this child was gripping his legs for a reason. He quickly pulled the chocolates out of his bag, a little melty from the recent warm weather, but chocolates nonetheless.</p><p>“Here you go,” he was ready to give her the box when Hinata’s mother yelled from the kitchen.</p><p>“Don’t give those to her just yet! She can have some after dinner!”</p><p>Natsu whined something unintelligible and let go of Kageyama’s legs (finally), running off toward the kitchen instead. Hinata continued to laugh, no longer hiding it behind his palm. “Oh god, Tobio, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!”</p><p>Kageyama paled. Hinata hadn’t called him Tobio outside of school, and even then he only used his name when they were uncertain if the team was around. Hinata must have realized what he said, because he sputtered and shook his head. “S-sorry! Force of habit,” he grinned cheekily.</p><p>Kageyama had his mouth open to respond but was interrupted by Hinata’s mother calling from the kitchen. “Shouyo, can you come set the table?”</p><p>“I’m being beckoned,” Hinata teased to Kageyama. “You can come into the kitchen, you know.”</p><p>“O-oh. Right,” Kageyama followed him into the kitchen. Hinata bustled around, expertly avoiding his mother, who moved just as quickly and erratically as she cooked dinner. Kageyama found it all a bit overwhelming compared to the usual emptiness of his own house; his mother worked evenings and his dad worked a contracting construction position, so Kageyama tended to be home alone quite often. This, though, felt much warmer and more exciting and more <em>terrifying. </em></p><p>Hinata laid out the plates on the table carefully. “I hope you like pad thai,” Hinata’s mother called over her shoulder, turning the heat off on the stove.</p><p>“I’ve never tried it,” Kageyama replied quietly. “It smells delicious, though.”</p><p>“My mama is the best cook ever!” Natsu squealed, weaving her way around the kitchen, twirling for good measure once or twice as she went. Hinata and his mother stepped around her as if it were nothing, but even standing still Kageyama almost tripped up on the little ball of sunshine.</p><p>Dinner went well; Hinata’s mother asked Kageyama about the team and how he enjoyed it, Kageyama gave his usual stoic answers. Natsu had a habit of getting food all over her face, which Kageyama found surprisingly adorable from her. He was about to mention something to Hinata across the table from him, when he found that Hinata, too, wore a few stray rice noodles on his cheeks. Somehow it looked even cuter on his friend. “Oi,” he nudged Hinata’s foot under the table, gathering his attention while Mrs. Hinata tried to scrub away the food on Natsu’s face with a napkin, “you’ve got food on your face.”</p><p>“Do I?” Hinata questioned, as if Kageyama would lie about something like that.</p><p>“Yes,” Kageyama barked back, loudly enough to startle Natsu next to him into compliance with the wet wipe on her face.</p><p>Hinata just laughed in response.</p><p>“It’s not a joke!”</p><p>Mrs. Hinata watched the exchange with bemusement, hiding a small chuckle behind her hand. “Shouyo, wash your face off.”</p><p>“Yes, mama!” Hinata jumped up from the table and went to the bathroom down the hall. Kageyama heard the sink begin to run.</p><p>“So,” Mrs. Hinata leaned her elbows on the table casually, smiling to Kageyama, “Shouyo won’t tell me who those chocolates came from last week.”</p><p>Kageyama bit the inside of his cheek. <em>Good god, </em>he thought stubbornly, <em>his mother’s as nosy as he is. </em></p><p>“Mind telling me?” Mrs. Hinata’s smile that had been warm and inviting mere seconds ago now looked intimidating.</p><p>“I…”</p><p>Hinata returned, then, much to Kageyama’s relief. He felt that if he tried to lie to Hinata’s mother while she looked at him with that smile, he’d likely not be able to.</p><p>Following dinner, he offered himself and Hinata to do the dishes (much to Hinata’s distaste, it seemed). “Your mother made us food, so we should clean up the mess,” Kageyama reasoned with him, as if it was  the most simple concept in the world. But still, Hinata huffed and crossed his arms, standing still in his spot. Natsu, not quite sure what was happening, assumed the same position at Kageyama’s side.</p><p>“You’re the <em>guest</em>,” Hinata grumbled, arms still firmly crossed over his chest. “You won’t be cleaning up <em>anything</em>.”</p><p>“Watch me,” Kageyama droned back, turning away from his (fake) boyfriend to fill the kitchen sink with soapy water.</p><p>“Tobio has such good manners!” Mrs. Hinata cooed from her spot on the couch, where she’d placed herself shortly after dinner with the intention to do the dishes after Natsu went to bed. “Why can’t you be more like that, Shouyo?” she sneered teasingly.</p><p>“Mama!” Hinata cried, turning his back on Kageyama in favor of yelling to his mother about how he most certainly <em>did </em>have manners, but guests shouldn’t be <em>expected </em>to do the dishes.</p><p>Kageyama listened to their back-and-forth conversation with a warm smile. He wondered idly when the last time his mom and him had a long conversation like that, and his heart sank a little at the thought; he dipped his hands into the water – still a bit too hot – and began scrubbing out a pan. Natsu pulled on his pant leg next to him and Kageyama looked down at her, her big brown eyes watching him expectantly. “Tobio, can you get me a chocolate?” she asked sweetly, and those pouty-eyes that Hinata had given him so many times before were nothing less than effective on the little girl below him.</p><p>“Oh, um, did your mom say it was okay?” he asked, not halting his scrubbing of the pan but watching Natsu expectantly.</p><p>“She said after dinner,” the little girl chirped back. “Please, Tobio?”</p><p>Kageyama thought if another person addressed him by his first name he might explode. His cheeks felt hot, though he didn’t quite know why. When he finally nodded his agreement, Natsu squealed and pointed frantically at the freezer. “Mama put them in the freezer!” she hopped from foot to foot.</p><p>Kageyama dried his hands on a nearby towel and reached into the freezer, grabbing for the white box he’d presented to Hinata earlier that day. “Only one, okay?” he reminded, opening the box delicately and getting onto his knee so he was closer to her size.</p><p>She had obviously been gearing up to grab as many as possible until he said that, and she crossed her arms over her chest in a stubborn pout. “I want two. Can I have two?”</p><p>“Do you want none, Natsu?” Hinata warned, strolling back into the kitchen. “Tobio said <em>one</em>. You need to listen to Tobio, okay?”</p><p>Natsu puffed out her lip.</p><p>“Just one,” Kageyama nodded in agreement with Hinata.</p><p>“Fine,” she grumbled finally, reaching into the box and taking one chocolate. Kageyama put the lid down on the box before she could turn around and pretend to walk away, then reach back into the box. Her mannerisms reminded him of Hinata, especially that blatant stubbornness that Kageyama had first fallen for.</p><p>Kageyama barely had the box back in the freezer before Hinata was pushing him out of the kitchen, laughing happily. “Dumbass—dishes!” Kageyama sputtered just before he toppled onto the ground, caught off guard by Hinata’s sudden attack.</p><p>“I convinced my mama that since it’s your first time being here, you shouldn’t have to do the dishes,” he beamed. Judging by the way he stood with his hands on his hips triumphantly, he was proud of himself.</p><p>“I don’t have to,” Kageyama grumbled in response. “That’s the point.”</p><p>Hinata stilled above him. “Then why would you?” he asked, cocking his head to the side in curiosity.</p><p>“Because I want to make a good impression!” Kageyama shot back, pushing himself back to his feet and lunging at Hinata, tackling him to the ground in retaliation.</p><p>Hinata laughed up at him, his hair spread around his head to resemble an actual sun on the ground. His cheeks were dusted pink from laughter, his freckles buried under the color. His eyes met Kageyama’s as the latter stared down at him, absorbing every bit of how he looked like this. “Oi, you’re heavy,” Hinata grumbled after a few moments, half-heartedly shoving at Kageyama’s shoulder in a weak attempt to move him.</p><p>“Sorry,” Kageyama replied gruffly, pushing himself off the floor quickly. He was certain his own face was coated in a blush, likely much darker than Hinata’s.</p><p>“C’mon,” Hinata pushed himself off the floor much faster than Kageyama, taking him by the wrist and pulling him down the hall.</p><p>“O-oi!” Kageyama startled. “I thought I was just here to give Natsu those chocolates?”</p><p>“Can’t you stay a little longer, Tobi?” Hinata said innocently.</p><p>Kageyama swallowed. <em>First he uses my first name, now he’s using a nickname? </em>He thought, frankly, he might melt into a puddle on the spot.</p><p>His legs stopped working, so Hinata simply dragged harder, grumbling about how much of a dead weight Kageyama was. “Seriously, move your feet!” he griped, pushing Kageyama the last few steps into his bedroom.</p><p>And, like Kageyama expected, it was a complete and utter mess.</p><p>Piles of dirty laundry had been thrown in the general direction of a laundry basket, but said basket was overfull with clothes already. Surprisingly, though, the room didn’t smell of sweat like Kageyama would expect from dirty laundry; it smelled nice, like Hinata, like dandelions in the summer.</p><p>He cringed at the sappy thought.</p><p>“What’s your issue today?” Hinata asked from the doorway.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Kageyama barked sarcastically, “maybe it’s the first time I’ve been to a friend’s house? You know, like I told you?”</p><p>“I mean with your face.”</p><p>“My face is my face!”</p><p>“No,” Hinata tapped his chin. “Your face keeps turning pink today. Are you sick?”</p><p>Kageyama blushed as if on cue. “See! Like that!” Hinata thrust a finger into Kageyama’s cheek for good measure.</p><p>“Dumbass, I don’t know!” Kageyama scowled, trying very hard to keep the contact from making his brain fuzzy, the way touching Hinata sometimes did.</p><p>“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in <em>love </em>with me,” Hinata sneered jokingly, poking that finger further into Kageyama’s cheek.</p><p>“With <em>you</em>?” Kageyama sneered back, finally pushing his arm away. He strategically avoided the accusation. “Whatever. I need to go home. I’ve got homework to do.”</p><p>“Like you ever do it!” Hinata replied with another accusatory jab, this time to his arm. Kageyama batted it away. “You just don’t want to spend time with your <em>boyfriend</em>, huh?”</p><p>“Fake boyfriend,” Kageyama barked back, “and no. I don’t.” He did. “Do you see Yachi around here anywhere?”</p><p>“Hmm,” Hinata tapped his chin. “I think that shouldn’t matter. We <em>are </em>still fake dating, after all.”</p><p>“Shut up!” Kageyama growled. “We set boundaries to avoid this!”</p><p>He wasn’t angry; he was afraid. Afraid that, after building up such a tough wall to protect himself from his feelings for Hinata pouring over during this fake relationship, in one single night Hinata could tear that all down – all while jokingly wanting to act like a couple. He knew it would hurt, he <em>knew </em>that going into this, so why did it still hurt so much to think about the way Hinata sneered at the thought of Kageyama being in love with him? Why did it feel like his heart had sank into his stomach?</p><p>“I need to go,” Kageyama announced, then, shoving past Hinata still standing in the doorway.</p><p>“Hold on—Kageyama, I was joking—please stay!”</p><p>Kageyama had his bag over his shoulder and one foot out the door while Hinata tugged desperately on his wrist. “Tobio!” he said as a final effort, and it worked – if the goal was to make Kageyama <em>incredibly </em>angry.</p><p>“I will play this game with you,” Kageyama nearly had his nose to Hinata’s as his voice dropped low and gravelly, “but only in school. Got it? That’s what we agreed to.”</p><p>Hinata made a noise of protest, maybe of embarrassment, and his grip on Kageyama’s wrist slacked. Kageyama took the opportunity to yank his hand away, and he was out of the house, with Hinata watching him leave.</p><p>As the boy watched him retreat, though, he had a quite dreadful feeling of possible attraction towards Kageyama.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks again for reading! I would love if you'd leave a comment - it always makes my day to go through and read them, and it inspires me to write more and keep improving for you! You're all so lovely and wonderful and I cannot express how much I appreciate every single kudos. &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Are you not comfortable with this?” Kageyama’s tone shifted into something Hinata rarely heard from his partner. He sounded caring and almost vulnerable, and if Hinata had found a way to deny his attraction for Kageyama thus far, that denial no longer could withhold itself.</p><p>“It’s not that!” Hinata urged, shaking his head. “I just—”</p><p>“Just what?” That annoyance seeped back into place in Kageyama’s voice, the creases in his forehead forming once again. “People in relationships eat lunch together.”</p><p>“I know!” Hinata urged.</p><p>“Is this because of what I said?”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone! It's been a hot minute since I've updated. I found myself a little blocked on this update, but with a little help from my friend Wren (wrendeavor on tumblr, if you're curious) I managed to write this!</p><p>Thanks so much for the support in my writing! I appreciate every single comment and kudos you leave me, and it inspires me to keep uploading for you.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hinata hadn’t been avoiding Kageyama. He’d swear that on his grave – he wasn’t <em>avoiding </em>his fake boyfriend. It just so happened that most lunch periods following that night he ate in scarcely populated locations that Kageyama didn’t normally visit. Or Yachi, or Tsukkishima or Yamaguchi.</p><p>Basically, he ate lunch in the furthest courtyard from the first-years’ wing.</p><p>Today was meant to be no different, even. Usually he lost himself in the crowd of students heading to lunch before Kageyama could chase him down – if he even would – but he felt a hand lock around his wrist before he could vanish. He looked back, fully expecting a scary-looking Kageyama to be looming over him; and while it was Kageyama, he didn’t look nearly as scary as Hinata expected him to. He looked more…concerned. Was that how his face looked when he was concerned?</p><p>“Shouyo,” Kageyama called over their classmates’ chattering. “Everything okay?”</p><p>“Perfect!” Hinata squeaked back, giving a weak thumbs-up and a smile. Kageyama made a noise and let his grip slacken as the hall emptied slowly around them.</p><p>“Lunch?” he asked, almost hesitantly, letting go of Hinata’s wrist. His arm fell to his side unceremoniously.</p><p>“U-um,” Hinata reached up to tug one of his unruly orange curls.</p><p>“You’ve been, uh, avoiding me,” Kageyama added quietly. His cheeks lit up in that same blush Hinata had made fun of him for just a few nights ago.</p><p>“H-huh?!” Hinata squealed back, raising his other hand in front of his face as some sort of shield. “N-no, that’s not it! I just—um, just—”</p><p>“Are you not comfortable with this?” Kageyama’s tone shifted into something Hinata rarely heard from his partner. He sounded caring and almost <em>vulnerable</em>, and if Hinata had found a way to deny his attraction for Kageyama thus far, that denial no longer could withhold itself.</p><p>“It’s not that!” Hinata urged, shaking his head. “I just—”</p><p>“Just what?” That annoyance seeped back into place in Kageyama’s voice, the creases in his forehead forming once again. “People in relationships eat lunch together.”</p><p>“I know!” Hinata urged.</p><p>“Is this because of what I said?”</p><p>Hinata fought back a cringe. <em>Of course</em>, he thought as the bitter memory resurfaced once again. <em>It’s all an act. </em></p><p>But then, he glanced around the nearly empty hallway. <em>Who’s he acting for right now? </em></p><p>The answer became evident when Yachi stepped out of her classroom down the hall a few paces, waving and calling out to her friends that she’d see them soon. She stopped, though, seeing Kageyama and Hinata. “Oh!” she hadn’t even put her arm down from waving to her friends and she turned and waved to them instead. “Hi! What are you two doing?”</p><p>“Deciding on where to sit for lunch,” Kageyama replied. He kept his eyes locked with Hinata’s, his expression a bit more urgent than it had been moments before.</p><p>“Yeah!” Hinata agreed with a quick nod of the head. “How about you, Yachi? I thought you usually ate outside.”</p><p>“I do,” she agreed, “but it looks like it might rain soon.”</p><p>Hinata glanced out the window. He hadn’t registered how much darker it was in the hallway today with the gray clouds looming overhead. “Oh, you’re right,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug. “Where should we eat then, Tobi?” Hinata directed his attention to Kageyama, who had since turned his back to him and now faced Yachi.</p><p>“You can come sit with me,” Yachi replied with that sunny smile of hers. Kageyama wondered to himself if he’d have said yes to a confession from her. Had he not been gay, of course.</p><p>“That sounds fun! What do you think, Tobi?” Hinata spoke with the lilt and airiness of a boy who hadn’t, moments ago, looked like he might implode trying to come up with an excuse to eat with Kageyama alone.</p><p>A feeling of dread fell over him. <em>Does he just not want to spend time alone with me? </em></p><p>Since that night, Kageyama knew things had changed between himself and Hinata. Not only did his partner avoid him at lunch, but he had become much less vocal on the court. They’d made something of a promise to each other when all this started that nothing would change between them on the court, but now the guilt of causing Hinata to break that promise weighed heavily on him.</p><p>Or did he even cause Hinata to break that promise? Was it just Hinata breaking it all on his own? Hinata had helped establish their boundaries, too. Was it really Kageyama’s fault that he had to re-establish them?</p><p>“Kageyama, is everything alright?” Yachi asked, worry clouding her sunny expression from mere moments ago.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Kageyama nodded quickly. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind. “Weren’t you eating with your friends?”</p><p>“Oh, no,” Yachi waved her hand. “A couple girls in my class asked to look over my notes today. I was going to go eat with Kiyoko senpai.”</p><p>“We wouldn’t want to intrude—” Kageyama had started, but Hinata spoke louder than he did.</p><p>“Mind if we join you?”</p><p>“I don’t think Kiyoko san will mind,” Yachi replied with a thoughtful tap to her chin. “She and I usually eat in the club room.”</p><p>They made their way out of the hallway and trudged towards the club room, warily watching the sky in the short amount of time it took to run from the school building to the steps leading up to the club room. Conversation between the three of them varied to whatever Hinata and Yachi had on their minds (Kageyama found that both of them had quite the habit of overriding conversations). He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the similarities between them, and once again he found himself wondering why Hinata had said no to her confession – a topic of interest lately when he couldn’t sleep.</p><p>When they arrived at the club room, the trio found a note taped to the door in Kiyoko’s handwriting. “’Team emergency. Talk later, Yachi. -Shimizu,’” Yachi recited to them. “I hope everything’s okay.”</p><p>“Me too,” Hinata added warily. “Hopefully practice isn’t cancelled today.”</p><p>“Dumbass, is that all you care about?” Kageyama barked, and the two turned to look at him. In the past week and a half or so of fake dating, he’d managed to keep his temper off the court when they weren’t alone. But then, could he really blame himself for being so irritable? It was like Hinata and Yachi were <em>made </em>for each other, and still Hinata was too stupid to realize it.</p><p>Yachi frowned and turned back towards the door. “Normally Kiyoko senpai has the key,” she explained, trying to open the door. “It’s locked.”</p><p>“Where should we eat, then?” Hinata wondered aloud. “Maybe the awning leading to the gym? In case it rains.”</p><p>“We could go back up to one of the classrooms,” Yachi mumbled. Kageyama looked between them as they each engaged in their own musings, a feeling of jealousy and annoyance swelling within him. All he’d really wanted to do was talk to Hinata, to sort out what had happened between them (and possibly even apologize, if it really came to it) – but that felt impossible with Yachi here.</p><p>“I’m going to go eat in my classroom,” Kageyama said shortly. “See you later, Shou, Yachi.” He turned and started back towards the steps, listening for Hinata to follow – but he didn’t, and Kageyama wasn’t about to turn around.</p><p>Hinata watched him leave, head tilted in confusion. “Are you guys okay?” Yachi asked from beside him, and judging by the way he leapt into the air in surprise, he forgot she was standing there.</p><p>“Y-yeah!” Hinata squeaked and gave a curt nod. “Just…”</p><p>How did he tell her that the reason he was avoiding his boyfriend was because he had feelings for his boyfriend?</p><p>“Do you want to talk about it?” Yachi asked, fidgeting a bit. “I was kind of hoping to talk to you today, anyways…”</p><p>“Oh, sure,” Hinata nodded again. “Where do you want to eat?”</p><p>“Here’s fine!” Yachi bowed her head.</p><p>They sat with their backs against the wall, cross-legged with their lunches in their laps. They’d eaten lunch together before – pretty much any time Kageyama was busy during their lunch period, Hinata would eat with Yachi. And, well, sometimes Kageyama would join them, but he never much liked being around Yachi – at least from what Hinata could tell.</p><p>“What’s up?” Hinata asked through a mouthful of food, looking expectantly to Yachi.</p><p>“O-oh!” she nearly dropped her own food from her lap. Hinata bit back a laugh; somehow she always managed to trip up, even when sitting perfectly still. He felt a certain contentment, being able to sit with her like this. At one point, Hinata had feared their friendship would be ruined by the confession, but it seemed that a few days after it happened it was completely scrubbed from Yachi’s memory, and they were back to chatting between classes and before and after practice.</p><p>Hinata swallowed his food. “Is it about the confession?” he asked stupidly, and this time Yachi <em>did </em>drop the food from her lap. Despite his hunger from forgetting breakfast that morning, Hinata split some of his food with her as a form of apology.</p><p>“Yes and no,” Yachi thought through her response carefully. “W-well, I didn’t want to say this when Kageyama was around because I didn’t know how he’d react to me bringing it up but—”</p><p>“Yachi, you’re rambling.”</p><p>“Am I?!” she blushed and shrieked, throwing a hand up to her face to hide the blush. “S-sorry!”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Hinata assured. “Just tell me.”</p><p>For someone who had a history of elongating short stories into practical novels, Hinata had a high level of impatience for Yachi’s nervous rambling.</p><p>“Well,” Yachi began again, “I mean – it was a confession, but not like…a real one.”</p><p>Hinata tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”</p><p>Yachi held her hands up in defense. “I-I mean, the chocolates were real and stuff! But…” she huffed out a sigh, an embarrassed blush coating her cheeks. “I don’t…like you like that. I figured I could come to you because you and I are such good friends and—”</p><p>Hinata frowned. “Why did you confess to me, then? And why did you give me chocolates?”</p><p>“I came out to my mom,” Yachi said finally, followed by a groan. “She told me it was a phase and that she’d help me make chocolates because ‘there had to be some boy I liked’,” she mocked her mother’s tone. “And I was only confessing because we’re friends but since you and Kageyama are together I thought you’d understand how it felt.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Yachi frowned, ready to tell Hinata to say something more than ‘oh’, but when she looked over at him she saw something resembling panic splayed on his face. “Please don’t tell Kageyama!” she cried finally. “You’re the only person I really trust to know that I’m—well, you know!”</p><p>“Hold on,” Hinata mumbled, looking at her intently. “So, when you confessed, you wanted me to fake-date you, not real-date you?”</p><p>“Um, yeah,” Yachi replied with a quick head-nod.</p><p>Hinata laughed, despite his rigid behavior just moments before. “Well, if I knew that, I would have said yes.”</p><p>Yachi giggled. “Maybe I should have prefaced with that, huh?”</p><p>“Definitely,” Hinata agreed, a sinking feeling in his stomach that he’d dragged Kageyama into an unnecessary fake relationship.</p><p>“So, um, I hate to ask,” Yachi began fidgeting again, and he could tell she was preparing to drop more of her lunch, “but I <em>kind of </em>told my mom you said yes and have been staying out later than normal acting like we’re going on dates.”</p><p>“Yachi!” Hinata exclaimed, giving her a look of surprise and disapproval. “You should have told me sooner! I’d have at least walked you home!”</p><p>“Well—” Yachi once again threw her hands up in defense. “I just, would you maybe—um—come over for dinner sometime this week? My mom said she wouldn’t believe me until she saw you…”</p><p>Hinata should have just said yes. In fact, he had the word ‘yes’ on the tip of his tongue, but instead what came out was, “Can Tobio come too?”</p><p>Yachi pondered this for a moment while Hinata inwardly panicked. <em>Why did I ask that?! </em>he thought with a grimace, turning his head so Yachi didn’t catch onto his inner turmoil.</p><p>“I could tell her we’re studying and Kageyama came over because he needed help, too,” Yachi thought aloud. “Does that sound good?”</p><p>“Y-yup!” Hinata squeaked back. “Let me just s-see if he can do it tonight…”</p><p>He sent a quick text with shaky fingers to Kageyama. ‘Wanna come to Yachi’s to study tonight?’</p><p>Hinata definitely, certainly, one hundred percent expected Kageyama to say no. But, of course, he got a text back almost immediately that read ‘Sure, dumbass’.</p><p>“He said yes,” Hinata murmured.</p><p>“Perfect!” Yachi clapped her hands together. “I—ah, please don’t tell Kageyama that my mom thinks we’re dating…I don’t want to make it awkward for him.”</p><p>“M-maybe he shouldn’t come—”</p><p>“No, no,” Yachi shook her head. “I think it’s better if he’s there so that you’re comfortable! I’d want Kiyoko senpai there if—”</p><p>She threw a hand over her mouth, blushing up to her ears. Her rambling always <em>did </em>tend to get her into trouble, after all. Hinata couldn’t help the playful smile that crept to his face. “You like Kiyoko senpai?” he asked in a lilting tone.</p><p>“Shut up!” Yachi cried back, shaking her head. “It’s a secret!”</p><p>Hinata continued to tease her and she acted offended for the rest of the lunch period, laughing and sharing food like they used to when they ate together. Soon after he returned to his class, though, he found himself dreading the inevitably complicated study date planned for that evening.</p><p>His fake boyfriend was coming with him to his new fake girlfriend’s home to meet his fake girlfriend’s mother. His fake boyfriend couldn’t know about his fake girlfriend, and his fake girlfriend’s mother <em>certainly </em>couldn’t know about his fake boyfriend <em>or </em>that his girlfriend was fake.</p><p>He highly doubted he’d survive the night.</p><hr/><p>To both of their surprise, Yachi knew how to cook – and she knew how to do it well.</p><p>The walk to Yachi’s apartment complex had been long, and while normally Yachi and Hinata would override the conversation, most of the way there it was quiet between the three of them. A few times, Kageyama had even been tempted to step in and start up a conversation – but he didn’t know what to talk about, really, aside from volleyball. And, surprisingly, they’d exhausted that topic shortly after they left the school grounds.</p><p>Yachi’s mother wasn’t home when the three of them arrived, but there was a note on the refrigerator that Kageyama assumed said something about cooking dinner, considering the way Yachi sighed and began pulling out ingredients shortly after reading it through. She didn’t talk much while she was cooking – she was too busy concentrating on not burning one of the several pans of food on the stove – so Hinata and Kageyama migrated to the living room as to not distract her, sitting facing each other on the couch.</p><p>“Tobi, I have something I need to tell you,” Hinata murmured.</p><p><em>Here we go, </em>Kageyama thought to himself stubbornly. <em>Here’s the part where he says he shouldn’t have agreed to fake-dating. </em></p><p>“I need you to pretend that Yachi and I are fake-dating for tonight,” Hinata said in a rushed whisper. “And that you don’t know that we’re fake dating.”</p><p>Kageyama blinked.</p><p>
  <em>“What?!”</em>
</p><p>Hinata reached forward and slapped a hand over his mouth, glancing nervously towards the kitchen. Yachi hummed to herself, too conserved in the dinner she prepared to notice. “Look, things got a little messy—”</p><p>“Messy, huh?” Kageyama said as he pulled Hinata’s hand away from his mouth. “What the hell, Shouyo? I thought we were—”</p><p>“We <em>are</em>,” Hinata cut him off. “I don’t get why it’s a big deal. I mean, our relationship is fake, too.”</p><p>“I…” Kageyama drifted off. He supposed Hinata had a point. “I guess.”</p><p>It was at that point that the apartment door opened and a boisterous, Yachi-like woman stepped inside, talking quite loudly on her cell phone with someone about an unfinished project at work. She noticed Yachi first, but she only hung up the phone when she saw two strange boys sitting on her couch. Hinata recognized her as Yachi’s mother, with the same golden hair and similar facial structures.</p><p>“Welcome home, mom!” Yachi chirped from the kitchen. She rounded the corner and nearly stumbled into the middle of a staring competition, or so it seemed; Hinata’s eyes were glued to her mother’s, and he wore an expression Yachi could only describe as a deer in headlights.</p><p>Kageyama, on the other hand, looked really, <em>really </em>annoyed.</p><p>“Hitoka, who’s your friends?” her mother asked in a much quieter voice than she’d had on the phone just moments ago.</p><p>“Mom, this is Shouyo! You remember I told you about him, right?” Yachi looked between her mother and Hinata nervously.</p><p>“Oh, right,” she said. “And this…other one?”</p><p>“That’s Kageyama. They came for dinner and to do homework,” she added hastily.</p><p>Hinata caught the strange grimace that appeared on Yachi’s mother’s face just before she turned around. “Oh, wonderful!” she chirped to Yachi in a voice that dripped with fake-enthusiasm.</p><p>Hinata didn’t like her. Hinata didn’t like her at all.</p><p>Kageyama could tell by the way Hinata balled his fists at his sides that something about this situation made Hinata upset. He wondered idly if it was the fact that Kageyama was here, that Kageyama had said yes to the invitation. Would fake-dating Yachi involve kissing her?</p><p>The predicament he found himself in put a bitter taste in his mouth. He was ready to call it quits and say he’d do his work at home when Yachi called to everyone from the kitchen. “Dinner!”</p><hr/><p>The sound of silverware clinking on plates echoed off the walls of the kitchen, it seemed, with the uncomfortable silence that had settled between the five of them.</p><p>Yachi sat next to Hinata, with Kageyama across from him and Yachi’s mother across from her. Under the table, Hinata rested his foot on top of Kageyama’s. “So,” Yachi’s mother spoke first, her voice coated in that irritating mock-happy tone. “Shouyo, how did you and Hitoka meet?”</p><p>“The volleyball team,” Hinata replied casually.</p><p>“Volleyball?” the woman murmured, as if she’d forgotten completely that Yachi was a team manager for the volleyball team.</p><p>“Yup,” Hinata replied shortly.</p><p>Kageyama kept his head down and ate his food. He hated to admit it, but Yachi was a phenomenal cook. Normally he didn’t enjoy the taste of fish, but she’d prepared whatever kind of fish it was (Kageyama hadn’t cared enough to pay attention when she said what kind it was) in a way that tasted so much better than anything he’d ever tried before.</p><p>Yachi cleared her throat. “Mom, you remember…right?”</p><p>“Of course!” her mother’s voice returned to that same irritating tone – Hinata could only refer to it in his mind as a saleswoman type tone. Like she was trying to sell her daughter something every time she spoke to her.</p><p>“What do you do for a living, Mrs. Yachi?” Hinata asked in the most polite voice he could muster. Not that he cared, particularly – he could probably guess by her tone – but because he thought it would break the awkward silence that kept settling between them.</p><p>“Oh, I don’t think you’d understand,” she replied with a dismissive wave. Hinata wondered if she was this rude on purpose, or if she just came off as such.</p><p>“My mom works at a law firm in the next city over,” Yachi explained hurriedly, as if the damage hadn’t been done already.</p><p>“Oh, that wasn’t too hard to understand,” Hinata commented idly.</p><p>Kageyama stuffed more food into his mouth.</p><p>“So,” her mother cleared her throat, “what position do you play, Shouyo?”</p><p>“Middle blocker!” Hinata announced proudly. “And Tobio plays setter.” He nudged Kageyama’s foot underneath the table.</p><p>“That’s nice,” she replied nonchalantly.</p><p>“They’re really good,” Yachi added helpfully.</p><p>Another silence.</p><p>Kageyama wondered why he’d decided this was a good idea. Initially it had been because he wanted to talk to Hinata alone, and perhaps keep something from happening between Hinata and Yachi (not that it was his business or anything) – but in the end, he supposed he couldn’t even prevent <em>that</em>, considering Hinata had obtained another fake partner. He nearly laughed aloud at that – <em>another </em>fake partner. As if one wasn’t enough.</p><p>As if Kageyama wasn’t enough.</p><p>Kageyama’s chair scraped along the tiled kitchen floor as he abruptly stood, calling attention to himself. He mumbled an apology before walking out of the kitchen, heading instead to Yachi’s bedroom, where his things were.</p><p>Hinata and Yachi exchanged glances. “What’s up with him?” Yachi asked softly. “He’s been kind of on edge since we got here…”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Hinata shrugged. Though he had a good idea of what the problem was, considering he’d told Kageyama exactly what Yachi told him <em>not </em>to tell Kageyama.</p><p>Mrs. Yachi cleared her throat, setting a napkin over her plate. Hinata noted idly that she’d only eaten a few bites. “Well, thank you for dinner, Hitoka,” she said with that charming, disgusting voice. “I have some work to finish this evening, so you and Shouyo and—” she waved her hand in the general direction Kageyama had gone—“your other friend need to be quiet.”</p><p>“Are you doing the dishes tonight?” Yachi asked, but her mother had already wandered off towards the small office of the apartment. Hinata knew there was no way she hadn’t heard, but still her hips swayed as she hummed flippantly, completely ignoring her daughter’s question.</p><p>“I’ll help you do the dishes, Ya—Hitoka,” Hinata called loudly, hoping that her mother heard – and he supposed she did, with the way the door closed just a bit louder than usual.</p><p>Kageyama didn’t know what he meant to accomplish by holing himself in Yachi’s bedroom. He stood just on the other side of the door, not daring to step into the actual room; he felt like he was invading. His bag sat on the edge of Yachi’s bed, and if he really wanted to he could grab his things and leave. But then, what would Yachi think? What would her mother think?</p><p>What would <em>Hinata </em>think?</p><p>He scoffed to himself. Why did he even <em>care </em>what Hinata thought? This whole fake relationship had been nothing but torture for Kageyama, with the only payoff being the sweet hand-holding and cheek-kisses – but even those were followed by the pain that none of it was real. And what was <em>with </em>Hinata wanting to spend more time with him? Did he think this was an actual relationship?</p><p>His head spun even as he heard the muffled sound of Hinata calling that he’d help Yachi do the dishes, even as another bout of anger filled him that he wouldn’t help <em>Kageyama </em>do the dishes when Kageyama came to his house, even as his feet moved on his own and he snatched his bag off Yachi’s neatly-made bed and stormed from the room. He slammed Yachi’s bedroom door after him, and when Yachi and Hinata glanced over at him, a dish in each of their hands, he muttered some bullshit excuse about not feeling well and left the apartment with a huff.</p><p>Damn it all. <em>Damn it all, </em>Kageyama growled to himself, angry tears threatening to spill over his cheeks – though he didn’t quite know why. He’d known, he’d known even before he suggested a fake relationship, that Hinata wouldn’t treat it as a real relationship. It was just a cover-up for another one of Hinata’s stupid mistakes, like when Kageyama had to help the smaller boy clean up after he got sick during a road trip. He threw a palm to his cheek and rubbed away the tears spilling down his cheeks. He hadn’t cried since he was ten, he thought; at least, he hadn’t cried from actual sadness since then. He remembered a few times he cried at a bitter defeat or a painstaking victory, but those emotions had nothing to do with what he felt right now. He felt angry, sad, <em>betrayed</em>, even.</p><p>He didn’t expect Hinata to follow him out, but he heard his partner’s shrill voice behind him anyways, yelling his name. His feet pounded on the pavement and Kageyama could tell he was sprinting to catch up. Despite his anger, his sadness, he didn’t run; he stopped walking entirely to allow him to catch up.</p><p>Hinata huffed behind him, and without even looking Kageyama knew he’d doubled over to catch his breath. “What the hell,” Hinata exhaled, and while Kageyama wanted to turn around and look at him, he kept his head facing forward.</p><p>“I don’t feel well,” Kageyama replied in a biting tone.</p><p>“Bullshit!” Hinata cried back. “When you don’t feel well you get all soft and mushy!”</p><p>“The hell does that mean?!”</p><p>“You don’t stomp around all angry-Yama,” he said, as if it was a sufficient explanation.</p><p>“That doesn’t explain a damn thing to me, dumbass!” Kageyama growled. “The hell did you chase me out for, anyways? I thought you were playing <em>Yachi’s </em>boyfriend tonight!”</p><p>Hinata paused. “Okay, and?” he said finally. “What’s the big deal with that?”</p><p>Kageyama <em>knew </em>it was fake. He <em>knew. </em>Still, he couldn’t hold his tongue. “I thought we were supposed to be together, idiot!” he yelled, grabbing Hinata’s collar and finally taking the time to look at him. His cheeks were a bit flushed from sprinting here and sweat beaded at his temples. His hair wasn’t as airy as usual with sweat slicking it to his face in some parts, but still, if Kageyama hadn’t been in the middle of yelling at Hinata for fake-cheating on him, he’d likely have a hard time resisting carding his fingers through Hinata’s hair.</p><p>Hinata stilled for a moment, cheeks turning redder before he shoved Kageyama back. The latter lost his footing and ended up on his butt on the sidewalk. Hinata steadied himself before he met the same fate, stepping closer to stand directly over Kageyama. “Did <em>you </em>forget it was a fake relationship?” he said, and his tone sounded almost as condescending as it ever had. “You’re nothing more to me than a volleyball partner.”</p><p>That hurt.</p><p>Kageyama pushed himself to his feet then, willing his angry tears to hold off for just a few more minutes. His voice became cold and he willed himself not to feel anything more than the burning hatred searing his chest. Not his feelings for Hinata, not his jealousy for Yachi. “Then what are you even doing here?” he murmured in a tone low and cold and biting.</p><p>Hinata’s lips parted, shut, parted again and shut again while he tried to think of a response. Finally, he settled for changing the subject. “I’m going to help Yachi with the dishes,” he grumbled under his breath. He turned around and Kageyama continued on his way, rubbing his palms at the angry tears that fell nearly the second Hinata looked away. The latter turned around one last time and yelled, “Don’t bother pretending anymore! This was a stupid idea anyway!”</p><p>Kageyama hadn’t expected any break-up to hurt as bad as theirs, even if it was fake.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks again for reading! I hope you enjoyed this update! I left it at a sort of sad spot but I promise in the end it'll all work out! You just have to trust me a little!</p><p>As always, thank you for the comments and kudos! If you have any criticism, please do leave it in the comments - I'm writing for you first and foremost, so if there's anything that doesn't make sense or could be done better, I'd love to know so I can address it.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Once again, thank you for reading! I'll try to post updates on this fic once a week, but currently I have several ongoing fics (I never know when to stop myself) so it may end up being closer to two weeks. If you're into My Hero Academia, I have an especially fun ongoing TodoDeku fic that I've been trying to update every week as well!</p><p>If you've got any suggestions for an AU or for a direction where this AU should go, please don't hesitate to tell me! I love hearing all your creative ideas and your constructive criticism! While I enjoy writing, I really do it for you readers, and every kudos/comment/bookmark warms my heart and humbles me so much.</p><p>Hope you're all staying healthy!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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